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In this paper, we investigate the short-term and long-term effects of the COVID-19 emergency on consumers' decision of changing dietary habit. We used a certified dataset reporting information about 456 Italian consumers during the lockdown in the first wave of the pandemic emergency (April 2020). The survey collected data about changes in food purchases, respondents' mood during the lockdown, conspiracist beliefs, exposure to the virus, and planned food purchasing behavior after the lockdown. We used the data to construct measures of the psychological pressure exerted by the COVID-19 emergency on consumers. We use an endogenous selection regression model to assess the impact of psychological pressure on the decision of changing food purchased. The analysis identified two opposite approaches to change in food purchasing decisions: impulsive approach and reflective approach. The former is associated with a higher probability of changing food purchase but a lower probability to keep the changes in the long run than the latter. Our results suggest that COVID-19 psychological pressure was associated with impulsive approach to buy food. Consequently, food-purchasing behavior is expected to revert to pre-COVID 19 habits when the emergency is over.
Carlo Russo; Mariarosaria Simeone; Eugenio Demartini; Maria Elena Marescotti; Anna Gaviglio. Psychological pressure and changes in food consumption: the effect of COVID-19 crisis. Heliyon 2021, 7, e06607 .
AMA StyleCarlo Russo, Mariarosaria Simeone, Eugenio Demartini, Maria Elena Marescotti, Anna Gaviglio. Psychological pressure and changes in food consumption: the effect of COVID-19 crisis. Heliyon. 2021; 7 (4):e06607.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarlo Russo; Mariarosaria Simeone; Eugenio Demartini; Maria Elena Marescotti; Anna Gaviglio. 2021. "Psychological pressure and changes in food consumption: the effect of COVID-19 crisis." Heliyon 7, no. 4: e06607.
In this paper, we investigated educated millennials’ evaluation of credence attributes in food products containing genetically modified organisms (GMO products). Our goal is to assess whether beliefs about GMO products are determined by scientific knowledge alone or if they are affected by other factors such as trust in information providers and use of social media. The focus on millennials is motivated by the increasing relevance of this social group in the public debate and by their extensive use of social media. We surveyed a sample of 215 Italian college students, confronting them with questions about safety, environmental impact and ethical issues in GMO product consumption. Using an ordered probit regression model, we found that educated millennials build their beliefs using a mix of scientific knowledge and trust in information providers. The role of the two drivers depended on the issue considered. Scientific knowledge drove beliefs in health claims, while trust in information providers was a driving factor in almost all claims. After controlling for trust effects, we did not find evidence of impact of confidence in the reliability of traditional and social media on beliefs. This result contradicts previous literature.
Carlo Russo; Mariarosaria Simeone; Maria Angela Perito. Educated Millennials and Credence Attributes of Food Products with Genetically Modified Organisms: Knowledge, Trust and Social Media. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8534 .
AMA StyleCarlo Russo, Mariarosaria Simeone, Maria Angela Perito. Educated Millennials and Credence Attributes of Food Products with Genetically Modified Organisms: Knowledge, Trust and Social Media. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (20):8534.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarlo Russo; Mariarosaria Simeone; Maria Angela Perito. 2020. "Educated Millennials and Credence Attributes of Food Products with Genetically Modified Organisms: Knowledge, Trust and Social Media." Sustainability 12, no. 20: 8534.
Social networks both negatively and positively affect a consumer’s behaviour and awareness of sustainable consumption. This research aims to interpret the multifaceted relationship between social media information and sustainable consumption in terms of food choices, environmental awareness, and consumer information, which is the novel contribution of this study. A survey of 162 individuals in Benevento, Italy, revealed how information from social media is linked to non-sustainable food behaviour. That is, variables that positively affect the probability that information is obtained through social networks are linked to behaviours that could be unsustainable from an environmental perspective. Moreover, among the new findings is the result that social media tends to create homogenised consumption, which, in many cases, is an attitude that depletes the environment. Limitations of this study and the results obtained outline future research directions.
Mariarosaria Simeone; Debora Scarpato. Sustainable consumption: How does social media affect food choices? Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 277, 124036 .
AMA StyleMariarosaria Simeone, Debora Scarpato. Sustainable consumption: How does social media affect food choices? Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 277 ():124036.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMariarosaria Simeone; Debora Scarpato. 2020. "Sustainable consumption: How does social media affect food choices?" Journal of Cleaner Production 277, no. : 124036.
Greater consumer choice and the greater share of income available for food have undoubtedly contributed to increasing the phenomenon of food waste. Food waste is at the centre of intense debate in the scientific world. Food waste at the consumption stage is a direct consequence of consumer buying behaviour. This makes the analysis of domestic food waste particularly interesting, as there are great opportunities for interventions to reduce it. To shed light on the phenomenon of food waste in rural towns and assess the level of knowledge of the economic, environmental and ethical consequences of food waste by consumers residing in such contexts, qualitative research and empirical analysis were carried out through the administration of a questionnaire in rural areas of Campania. Multiple correspondence analysis and cluster analysis were performed on the data collected. For each consumer profile identified through the analysis, appropriate waste reduction policies should be adopted. The results of the analysis make it possible to identify specific factors leading to food waste in rural areas, and what action could be taken by public and private stakeholders to reduce food waste.
Elisa Di Talia; Mariarosaria Simeone; Debora Scarpato. Consumer behaviour types in household food waste. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 214, 166 -172.
AMA StyleElisa Di Talia, Mariarosaria Simeone, Debora Scarpato. Consumer behaviour types in household food waste. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018; 214 ():166-172.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElisa Di Talia; Mariarosaria Simeone; Debora Scarpato. 2018. "Consumer behaviour types in household food waste." Journal of Cleaner Production 214, no. : 166-172.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore food safety attitudes among a sample of Spanish consumers and determine which variables, among those studied, most affect the probability of the consumer being attentive to food safety. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted using a logit model. From the questionnaire 20 binary category variables were identified. Having selected the variable “Are you worried about safety food” as a dependent variable, the authors used binary logistic regression (Aldrich and Nelson, 1984; Borooah, 2002) to ascertain in what way the remaining 19 variables affect the likelihood of the consumer being particularly attentive to the healthiness and safety of food purchased. Findings The probability of the consumer being particularly attentive to food healthiness and safety, for the sample in question, is higher in consumers who stated that they were familiar with organic products, those who are attentive to fat contents in foods and those who value the presence of quality certification positively. Research limitations/implications Future research into Spanish consumers with the same methodology should target a larger sample in several Spanish cities. Originality/value This paper investigates not only Spanish consumer attitudes to food safety, but also how other variables can influence the probability of the consumer being concerned about food safety. This approach may be very useful for food companies to determine what strategies to adopt to attract the category of consumers who lend special importance to the food safety variable in their purchases.
Debora Scarpato; Giacomo Rotondo; Mariarosaria Simeone; Andrés Gómez; Pilar Gutiérrez. How can food companies attract the consumer concerned about food safety? A logit model analysis in Spain. British Food Journal 2017, 119, 1705 -1717.
AMA StyleDebora Scarpato, Giacomo Rotondo, Mariarosaria Simeone, Andrés Gómez, Pilar Gutiérrez. How can food companies attract the consumer concerned about food safety? A logit model analysis in Spain. British Food Journal. 2017; 119 (8):1705-1717.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDebora Scarpato; Giacomo Rotondo; Mariarosaria Simeone; Andrés Gómez; Pilar Gutiérrez. 2017. "How can food companies attract the consumer concerned about food safety? A logit model analysis in Spain." British Food Journal 119, no. 8: 1705-1717.
Mariarosaria Simeone; Willaim Bruce Traill; Carlo Russo. New dimensions of market power and bargaining in the agri-food sector: organisations, policies and models. British Food Journal 2017, 119, 1650 -1655.
AMA StyleMariarosaria Simeone, Willaim Bruce Traill, Carlo Russo. New dimensions of market power and bargaining in the agri-food sector: organisations, policies and models. British Food Journal. 2017; 119 (8):1650-1655.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMariarosaria Simeone; Willaim Bruce Traill; Carlo Russo. 2017. "New dimensions of market power and bargaining in the agri-food sector: organisations, policies and models." British Food Journal 119, no. 8: 1650-1655.
Purpose This is an exploratory study on consumer information and behaviour towards green, health, local, social and environmental credentials on labels. It focusses on many dimensions of sustainability in the food products that affect consumer choices with a dual purpose: to identify and define “sustainable consumption” behaviour in broad sense and to investigate empirically the factors affecting the real consumption behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on consumers’ understanding, motivation and use of sustainable labelling in order to understand the role sustainability information plays in the food products market. Design/methodology/approach Two focus groups in order to investigate consumer motivation and behaviour in-depth and to prepare the questionnaire. Identification of the outcomes that could summarize sustainable consumption combining: purchase of local products, consume only seasonal fruit, prefer products with recyclable packaging, attention to the fat content in foods, give importance to traceability and purchase products only in the place of origin. Identification of the “at risk” virtuous consumer, using a binary logistic regression approach, taking into account demographic characteristics, the food and nutrition value system, experience, knowledge, institutional factors and marketing. Findings Results from the focus groups are mainly in line with the empirical analysis, highlighting the key role of education in influencing consumer attitude and behaviour. Consumers give little attention to information provided on the label for sustainable food consumption and environmental protection and have little knowledge of environmental problems. The virtuous consumer appears to give importance to a better food nutrition value system, to pay more attention to ingredients and instructions on the label, to be more attentive to environmental and sustainable attributes, to be concerned about product quality and to be slightly influenced by brands and special offers. Research limitations/implications The findings from the empirical analysis confirm the results from focus groups even if it was not possible from the empirical analysis to investigate in-depth the marketing aspects concerning the food choice. This limit probably comes from the low number of observations. Further research will focus on these marketing aspects. Practical implications Products with sustainable attributes can become a strategic variable and allow companies to gain a competitive advantage, especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises. This may encourage the development of new marketing channels based on the direct relationship between producer and the new consumer demand, increasingly sensitive to the food security issues. Social implications There is a potential interest and sensitiveness to having sustainable behaviour in a broad sense, but there is a lack of knowledge about how to behave to be sustainable. In the absence of binding rules, it is necessary that government promote information and campaigns to generate greater awareness on sustainability, aiming at increasing knowledge to drive the consumer’s choices. This may lead to virtuous results in terms of reducing social costs related to an unhealthy diet, food waste and unsustainable consumption. Originality/value The results show that despite the appearance of attention to the environment and to healthy food which is associated with this emerging critical consumer in the literature, there remains the problem of the consumer giving little attention to information provided on the label for sustainable food consumption and environmental protection. This is the problem of “rules of thumb” in purchasing decisions that prevail in the following situations: when consumers have an overload of information that exceeds their processing limits; when they tend to base their decision making on heuristics, focussing their choices on brands as a proxy for high-quality, product-related characteristics.
Paola Mancini; Andrea Marchini; Mariarosaria Simeone. Which are the sustainable attributes affecting the real consumption behaviour? Consumer understanding and choices. British Food Journal 2017, 119, 1839 -1853.
AMA StylePaola Mancini, Andrea Marchini, Mariarosaria Simeone. Which are the sustainable attributes affecting the real consumption behaviour? Consumer understanding and choices. British Food Journal. 2017; 119 (8):1839-1853.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaola Mancini; Andrea Marchini; Mariarosaria Simeone. 2017. "Which are the sustainable attributes affecting the real consumption behaviour? Consumer understanding and choices." British Food Journal 119, no. 8: 1839-1853.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to devise and then test a theoretical model to illustrate the effects of the increasing importance of social media on consumer behavior and market equilibrium in differentiated food industries. Design/methodology/approach The authors use game theory to model the strategic use of social media by firms producing high-value food products. The authors test the predictions of the theoretical model by means of a survey of 722 randomly selected Italian food consumers using an online questionnaire. Findings The model predicts that, as social media become more and more influential, consumers using the new media become more informed, and their concern about food quality attributes increases. At the same time, the consumers using mass media only receive less information and they prefer cheaper products to the high value one. As a result, the emergence of social media favours market segmentation and the hypotheses tested were: Social consumers are, on average, more informed than mass consumers and more concerned about environmental issues than mass consumers. The data support the theoretical model. Originality/value The paper contributes to the debate about the impact of information from interested sources on market equilibrium, providing an innovative analysis of the role of social media.
Carlo Russo; Mariarosaria Simeone. The growing influence of social and digital media. British Food Journal 2017, 119, 1766 -1780.
AMA StyleCarlo Russo, Mariarosaria Simeone. The growing influence of social and digital media. British Food Journal. 2017; 119 (8):1766-1780.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarlo Russo; Mariarosaria Simeone. 2017. "The growing influence of social and digital media." British Food Journal 119, no. 8: 1766-1780.
Antonietta Telese; Giacomo Rotondo; Mariarosaria Simeone; Debora Scarpato. Product Attributes and Purchasing Behaviour: How Parents' Food Choices Can Act on Their Children's BMI? Empirical Evidence from a Case Study. Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture 2016, 8, 1 -1.
AMA StyleAntonietta Telese, Giacomo Rotondo, Mariarosaria Simeone, Debora Scarpato. Product Attributes and Purchasing Behaviour: How Parents' Food Choices Can Act on Their Children's BMI? Empirical Evidence from a Case Study. Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture. 2016; 8 (999):1-1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonietta Telese; Giacomo Rotondo; Mariarosaria Simeone; Debora Scarpato. 2016. "Product Attributes and Purchasing Behaviour: How Parents' Food Choices Can Act on Their Children's BMI? Empirical Evidence from a Case Study." Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture 8, no. 999: 1-1.
Nutrition related diseases have reached epidemic proportions in Western Countries. Because of the huge economic costs and the impact on human well-being, nutrition and related disease have become a major public health concern. In this research paper we analyse the factors determining obesity, starting from the ISTAT multipurpose survey “Aspects of italian daily life” on the households, carried out in 2012. The analysis was based on multiple correspondence analysis and using logistic regression models. Starting from the main variables related to nutritional habits, eating habits and eating out, sedentary lifestyle, socio-economic status indicators that imply a different diet we have tried to shed light on the main factors responsible for obesity. From this evidence we tried to suggest the policy interventions can be implemented in order to act on the problem.
Paola Mancini; Andrea Marchini; Mariarosaria Simeone. Eating Behaviour and Well-being: An Analysis on the Aspects of Italian Daily Life. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia 2016, 8, 228 -235.
AMA StylePaola Mancini, Andrea Marchini, Mariarosaria Simeone. Eating Behaviour and Well-being: An Analysis on the Aspects of Italian Daily Life. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia. 2016; 8 ():228-235.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaola Mancini; Andrea Marchini; Mariarosaria Simeone. 2016. "Eating Behaviour and Well-being: An Analysis on the Aspects of Italian Daily Life." Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia 8, no. : 228-235.
Mariarosaria Simeone. Editorial: Understanding Consumer Expectations and Reducing Asymmetry Between Consumers and Producers: A Challenge for Food Producers in a Monopolistic Competition Market. Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture 2016, 8, 1 .
AMA StyleMariarosaria Simeone. Editorial: Understanding Consumer Expectations and Reducing Asymmetry Between Consumers and Producers: A Challenge for Food Producers in a Monopolistic Competition Market. Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture. 2016; 8 (1):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMariarosaria Simeone. 2016. "Editorial: Understanding Consumer Expectations and Reducing Asymmetry Between Consumers and Producers: A Challenge for Food Producers in a Monopolistic Competition Market." Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture 8, no. 1: 1.
Antonietta Telese; Debora Scarpato; Giacomo Rotondo; Mariarosaria Simeone. Product Attributes and Purchasing Behaviour: How Parents' Food Choices Can Act on Their Children's BMI? Empirical Evidence from a Case Study. Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture 2016, 8, 1 .
AMA StyleAntonietta Telese, Debora Scarpato, Giacomo Rotondo, Mariarosaria Simeone. Product Attributes and Purchasing Behaviour: How Parents' Food Choices Can Act on Their Children's BMI? Empirical Evidence from a Case Study. Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture. 2016; 8 (1):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonietta Telese; Debora Scarpato; Giacomo Rotondo; Mariarosaria Simeone. 2016. "Product Attributes and Purchasing Behaviour: How Parents' Food Choices Can Act on Their Children's BMI? Empirical Evidence from a Case Study." Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture 8, no. 1: 1.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the factors that affect consumer choices for both policymakers and food companies. Design/methodology/approach – Four hundred questionnaires were administered in the city of Florence (Tuscany, Italy). Data analysis was carried out according to a two-step procedure in a multivariate statistical framework: in the first stage, a multiple correspondence analysis was performed; in the second step, the single-link (nearest neighbour) cluster analysis allowed three homogeneous groups of consumers to be identified on the basis of their specific socio-demographic characteristics. Findings – Three consumer clusters were obtained: the first, “critical but non-philanthropic consumers”, who may have pathologies that require a particular diet; the second, “marginally critical consumers”, for whom freshness, the label and the assortment count for much; the third, “agnostic consumers”, who choose a product according to its origin and the price/quality relationship, while ethical aspects, health claims or information on the use are not considered as important. Social implications – From the results it may be deduced that although recent regulations will lead to greater transparency, in many respects consumers may not be able to grasp aspects of higher quality from the label among competing products. Originality/value – The results seem to run contrary to the trends identified in other studies with regard to critical and socially responsible production attributes. Except in cases where consumers are sensitised by the presence of food-related diseases encountered within their own family, they may not be able to grasp higher-quality aspects from the label among competing products. From the results it is evident that both educational and generational issues come into play with regard to food choices, closely linked to the media from which information is obtained.
Nicola Marinelli; Mariarosaria Simeone; Debora Scarpato. Does quality really matter? Variables that drive postmodern consumer choices. Nutrition & Food Science 2015, 45, 255 -269.
AMA StyleNicola Marinelli, Mariarosaria Simeone, Debora Scarpato. Does quality really matter? Variables that drive postmodern consumer choices. Nutrition & Food Science. 2015; 45 (2):255-269.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNicola Marinelli; Mariarosaria Simeone; Debora Scarpato. 2015. "Does quality really matter? Variables that drive postmodern consumer choices." Nutrition & Food Science 45, no. 2: 255-269.
The objective of this study is to understand the level of attention that the consumer awards to a balanced diet and to product ingredients, with a twofold purpose: to understand whether food product reformulation can generate a competitive advantage for companies that practice it and to evaluate the most appropriate policy interventions to promote a healthy diet. Reformulation strategy, in the absence of binding rules, could be generated by consumers. Results from qualitative research and from empirical analysis have shown that the question of health is a latent demand influenced by two main factors: a general lack of information, and the marketing strategies adopted by companies which bring about an increase in the information asymmetry between producers and consumers. In the absence of binding rules, it is therefore necessary that the government implement information campaigns (food education) aimed at increasing knowledge regarding the effects of unhealthy ingredients, in order to inform and improve consumer choice. It is only by means of widespread information campaigns that food product reformulation can become a strategic variable and allow companies to gain a competitive advantage. This may lead to virtuous results in terms of reducing the social costs related to an unhealthy diet.
Giuseppe Marotta; Mariarosaria Simeone; Concetta Nazzaro. Product reformulation in the food system to improve food safety. Evaluation of policy interventions. Appetite 2014, 74, 107 -115.
AMA StyleGiuseppe Marotta, Mariarosaria Simeone, Concetta Nazzaro. Product reformulation in the food system to improve food safety. Evaluation of policy interventions. Appetite. 2014; 74 ():107-115.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiuseppe Marotta; Mariarosaria Simeone; Concetta Nazzaro. 2014. "Product reformulation in the food system to improve food safety. Evaluation of policy interventions." Appetite 74, no. : 107-115.